I completed another EP in Auria. Once again, everything was recorded, mixed and finished in Auria. This record sounds a bit like ghostly tropical blues and features my buddy Kevin on drums. I had never recorded drums before this, so it was an interesting experiment for me. Let me know what you think!

"I was under the impression we were gonna pull through, you were underneath another dude"

Really like the vibe you've got going on here. Song writing and performance style is great - very, very listenable. The overall sound of the drums (for your first time!) is great for the kind of music you make too.

You(?) have a great voice and the harmonies are WARM. Joyous.

Sounds to me like you've pushed each of the mixes too hard though - unless it's the sound you were going for - I think you've over-compressed some(?) of your tracks. Can you hear the 'swell' in the mixes? (Very prevalent in Early Runner.) It's not pleasurable to me, but it's employed a lot in dance music to make the kick drum feel like it's eating your heart out. Sounds like an 'error' rather than a stylistic choice.

My two cents - keep it up - great songs! My favourite track is Bigger Animals.

I totally agree with you, novakram. I definitely have a heavy hand with the compression. The over-compressed sound is something I enjoy in lots of other music (I grew up listening to metal), but it is an odd choice for the style of music I tend to produce. It just seems to happen, probably as a result of my lack of mixing and mastering expertise. When I shoot for loud, punchy mixes, I always end up pushing them a bit too hard. The end result doesn't bother me as much as a too-quiet mix, however, so for my purposes it is the lesser evil. Great feedback, though. Thank you!

I'd suggest tweaking the settings on the compressor a bit then to make it a bit 'easier' / less attack, and also maybe use a limiter after hosting the volume. The stock limiter on the master channel strip in Auria is good enough for loud mixes, I've found. I've been able to get my mixes out of it to a comparable 'mastered' level.